2018 FIFA World Cup
The 2018 FIFA World Cup is the 21st FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It is currently ongoing in Russia starting from 14 June and will end with the final match on 15 July 2018. The country was awarded the hosting rights on 2 December 2010. This is the first World Cup to be held in Eastern Europe, and the eleventh time that it has been held in Europe. For the first time the tournament takes place on two continents – Europe and Asia. All of the stadium venues are in or just outside European Russia to keep travel time manageable. At an estimated cost of over $14.2 billion, it is the most expensive World Cup ever. The final tournament involves 32 national teams, which include 31 teams determined through qualifying competitions and the automatically qualified host team. Of the 32 teams, 20 make back-to-back appearances following the last tournament in 2014, including defending champions Germany, while both Iceland and Panama make their first appearances at a FIFA World Cup. A total of 64 matches will be played in 12 venues located in 11 cities. The final will take place on 15 July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. The winners of the World Cup will qualify for the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup. Teams 'Qualification' ;AFC (5) * Australia (37) * Iran (38) * Japan (61) * Saudi Arabia (67) * South Korea (57) ;CAF (5) * Egypt (46) * Morocco (42) * Nigeria (49) * Senegal (28) * Tunisia (22) ;CONCACAF (3) * Costa Rica (24) * Mexico (16) * Panama (55) ;CONMEBOL (5) * Argentina (6) * Brazil (3) * Colombia (17) * Peru (13) * Uruguay (15) ;OFC (0) * None qualified ;UEFA (14) * Belgium (4) * Croatia (21) * Denmark (12) * England (12) * France (8) * Germany (2) * Hungary (1) * Iceland (23) * Poland (9) * Portugal (5) * Russia (70) (hosts) * Serbia (35) * Spain (12) * Sweden (25) Venues Group Stage 'Group A' Cheryshev Dzyuba Golovin |goals2= |stadium=Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |attendance=78,011 |referee=Néstor Pitana (Argentina) }} |stadium=Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |attendance=20,015 |referee=Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) }} ---- Cheryshev Dzyuba |goals2=Salah |stadium=Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |attendance=64,468 |referee=Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay) }} |goals2= |stadium=Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don |attendance=42,678 |referee=Clément Turpin (France) }} ---- Cheryshev Cavani |goals2= |stadium=Cosmos Arena, Samara |attendance=41,970 |referee=Malang Diedhiou (Senegal) }} Al-Dawsari |goals2=Salah |stadium=Volgograd Arena, Volgograd |attendance=36,823 |referee=Wilmar Roldán (Colombia) }} 'Group B' |stadium=Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |attendance=62,548 |referee=Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey) }} |goals2=Costa Nacho |stadium=Fisht Olympic Stadium, Soch |attendance=43,866 |referee=Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) }} ---- |goals2= |stadium=Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |attendance=78,011 |referee=Mark Geiger (United States) }} |stadium=Kazan Arena, Kazan |attendance=42,718 |referee=Andrés Cunha (Uruguay) }} ---- |goals2=Quaresma |stadium=Mordovia Arena, Saransk |attendance=41,685 |referee=Enrique Cáceres (Paraguay) }} Aspas |goals2=Boutaïb En-Nesyri |stadium=Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |attendance=33,973 |referee=Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) }} 'Group C' Behich |goals2=Jedinak |stadium=Kazan Arena, Kazan |attendance=41,279 |referee=Andrés Cunha (Uruguay) }} |stadium=Mordovia Arena, Saransk |attendance=40,502 |referee=Bakary Gassama (Gambia) }} ---- |goals2=Jedinak |stadium=Cosmos Arena, Samara |attendance=40,727 |referee=Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) }} |goals2= |stadium=Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |attendance= |referee=Mohammed Abdulla Hassan Mohamed (United Arab Emirates) }} ---- Guerrero |stadium=Fisht Olympic Stadium, Soch |attendance=44,073 |referee=Sergei Karasev (Russia) }} 'Group D' |goals2=Finnbogason |stadium=Otkritie Arena, Moscow |attendance=44,190 |referee=Szymon Marciniak (Poland) }} Modrić |goals2= |stadium=Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |attendance=31,136 |referee=Sandro Ricci (Brazil) }} ---- Modrić Rakitić |stadium=Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |attendance=43,319 |referee=Ravshan Irmatov (Uzbekistan) }} |goals2= |stadium=Volgograd Arena, Volgograd |attendance=40,904 |referee=Matthew Conger (New Zealand) }} ---- |goals2=Messi Rojo |stadium=Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |attendance=64,468 |referee=Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey) }} |goals2=Badelj Perišić |stadium=Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don |attendance=43,472 |referee=Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain) }} 'Group E' |stadium=Cosmos Arena, Samara |attendance=41,432 |referee=Malang Diedhiou (Senegal) }} |goals2=Grosicki |stadium=Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don |attendance=43,109 |referee=César Arturo Ramos (Mexico) }} ---- Neymar |goals2= |stadium=Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg |attendance=64,468 |referee=Björn Kuipers (Netherlands) }} |goals2=Krychowiak Zieliński |stadium=Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad |attendance=33,167 |referee=Felix Brych (Germany) }} ---- Thiago Silva |stadium=Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow |attendance=44,190 |referee=Alireza Faghani (Iran) }} |goals2=Waston Szczęsny |stadium=Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |attendance=43,319 |referee=Clément Turpin (France) }} 'Group F' |stadium=Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow |attendance=78,011 |referee=Alireza Faghani (Iran) }} |goals2= |stadium=Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |attendance=42,300 |referee=Joel Aguilar (El Salvador) }} ---- |goals2=Vela Hernández |stadium=Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don |attendance=43,472 |referee=Milorad Mažić (Serbia) }} Kroos Boateng |goals2=Toivonen |stadium=Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |attendance=44,287 |referee=Szymon Marciniak (Poland) }} ---- Son Heung-min |goals2= |stadium=Kazan Arena, Kazan |attendance=41,835 |referee=Mark Geiger (United States) }} Granqvist Álvarez |stadium=Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |attendance=33,061 |referee=Néstor Pitana (Argentina) }} 'Group G' Lukaku |goals2= |stadium=Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi |attendance=43,257 |referee=Janny Sikazwe (Zambia) }} |goals2=Kane |stadium=Volgograd Arena, Volgograd |attendance=41,064 |referee=Wilmar Roldán (Colombia) }} ---- Lukaku Batshuayi |goals2=Bronn Khazri |stadium=Otkritie Arena, Moscow |attendance=44,190 |referee=Jair Marrufo (United States) }} Kane Lingard |goals2=Baloy |stadium=Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod |attendance=43,319 |referee=Gehad Grisha (Egypt) }} ---- 'Group H' Quintero |goals2=Kagawa Osako |stadium=Mordovia Arena, Saransk |attendance=40,842 |referee=Damir Skomina (Slovenia) }} Elek Nagy Németh |goals2= |stadium=Otkritie Arena, Moscow |attendance=44,190 |referee=Nawaf Shukralla (Bahrain) }} ---- Honda |goals2=Mané Wague |stadium=Central Stadium, Yekaterinburg |attendance=32,572 |referee=Gianluca Rocchi (Italy) }} Dzsudzsák Priskin Szalai |goals2=Mina |stadium=Kazan Arena, Kazan |attendance=42,873 |referee=César Arturo Ramos (Mexico) }} ----